Page 49 - Mercian Eagle 2012

And the snow begins to fall
and understanding the capabilities and limitations of each element in order to achieve success; a modus operandi the Coy will continue into MST.
• Every method of communication was tested to the maximum in BATUS, be that the link man in the OBUA environment, the complex fit BOWMAN radio harness or the ComBAT data terminal. Fighting for communications was as large a battle as that of facing the COEFOR and every level
Reserve platoon under control of the Coy 2IC
of command within the Coy understands the potential for failure if communications are not maintained.
• The concept of anticipation is clearly expected during battle procedure but understanding how each level of the Coy is actually able to anticipate and how this relates into practical action was something commanders in A Coy developed well throughout the exercise. This will be an essential skill for AFGHANISTAN and is
another way in which the basics learnt
in BATUS will be applicable to MST and deployment on Op HERRICK 19.
• Exploiting success and maintaining the initiative was essential for victory on the Prairie; grasping the opportunities presented as the enemy revealed their weaknesses, understanding the higher commanders intent and encouraging mission command was all pivotal to maintaining momentum and unhinging the COEFOR scheme of manoeuvre. BATUS gave the opportunity
to develop commanders at all levels and
as the Coy moves towards HERRICK that reliance on junior commanders will become ever more acute.
Ex PT4 was an excellent HFT opportunity for A Coy. The BG achieved CT3 but the real benefit for A Coy will be the transferable low level skills and concepts which
have been honed and developed on the Prairie, meaning the first step has already been taken along the road to MST and deployment on Op HERRICK 19.
Life of a Platoon Commander by SM Lowe
I joined the Army in September 2010 and attended the Pre-Royal Military Academy Sandhurst course before starting Sandhurst Commissioning Course the following January. I thoroughly enjoyed Sandhurst thanks to the training we received and the people I went through it with but it’s one weakness would be that it did not prepare me for life in barracks, the training for that consisting of just a few lectures over the year. On commissioning from Sandhurst
on Ex Prairie Thunder 4 in BATUS and
will deploy on Op HERRICK 19 next year, however, I still didn’t expect the Battalion to be as busy at it was. I was thrown straight into planning ranges to qualify 16 Warrior crews ready for the deployment to BATUS. It had been some months since I had planned a light role range let alone an armoured range but the planning came together and we left for Sennelager a few weeks later. The range was a good opportunity to get to know the
however, my vehicle lost all power around 800m from the front gate! This set the tone for the exercise as I was constantly cross decking to other vehicles trying to maintain command and control and keep 3 sections in the fight; this was often difficult and at one point had to I resort to clearing a trench system with my platoon sergeant, a runner and an American platoon leader who was there to observe! For me the difficulty of armour was simply trying to keep the four vehicles moving. The armoured tactics were easy to grasp, as I just needed to
use the Warriors as I would use light role sections. I also leant to trust my vehicle commanders to use their own initiative
and use the ground to keep the vehicle concealed. This did not always work as planned such as when my Warrior Sergeant managed to leave an FUP and drive into
a lake instead of to the enemy position. Luckily I had a section of Royal Engineers who could quickly make up for this slight error. Although the attacks and operations seemed to me to be going well I still every so often felt the wrath of my Company Commander who ended up blistering his thumb as he continually pushed his radio pressel in frustration attempting to contact me! After fighting with the enemy and weather for 4 weeks we returned back to Camp Crowfoot where the fight turned to handing vehicles back to BATUS.
Over the next two years I will be faced with new and exciting challenges and can imagine that finding a balance between training and time to recuperate will be tricky! My feet have hardly touched the ground and I’m expecting the next two years to continue at a similar pace.
in December 2011, I attended the Platoon Commanders Battle Course at Brecon. After four months of unpleasant, yet quality, training in Brecon most officers then moved
The range was a good opportunity to get to know the guys in A company and also gain some experience being in command at battalion.
guys in A Company
and also gain some experience being in command at battalion. The ranges immediately started to go wrong when my nine Warriors soon became ones that had to be constantly worked on by the REME. However after a slow first day the Warriors began to perform better as
to their Regiments.
However, 11 others
and I headed south to
Bovington to live a life
of luxury with the RAC
while completing the
Armoured Infantry Platoon Commanders Course. On completion of all this training I was finally on my way to Fallingbostel to take over 1 Platoon, A Company 3 MERCIAN.
did the accuracy of the shooting, and after five days the crews were
qualified. We returned back to Fallingbostel and continued training for BATUS and deployed two weeks later to Canada.
I was looking forward to Ex PT 4 as it was my first exercise where I would be in command for the entire time. I had heard good and bad things about BATUS and with my limited knowledge on armoured tactics I approached the exercise with
an air of excitement. The next 10 days consisted of light role training and briefs whilst also trying to fix the Warriors in order to deploy onto the prairie. By the morning of the deployment I was keen to get onto the ground and start the live fire phase,
Whilst at Sandhurst there is a lot of time spent talking about your first day at your Regiment and the moment you meet your platoon for the first time. The reality was that I arrived at the Battalion with around six to eight men from my Platoon in camp whom I met at different times whether on PT or in the office. This was far from the initial thoughts I had of arriving to a full platoon awaiting my introduction!
I arrived at 3 MERCIAN at an exciting time as the Battalion was preparing to deploy
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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